Half a world away in Switzerland, Philipp Kurashev will FaceTime father Konstantin, a 14-year veteran of Russian and Swiss pro leagues as a player who recently returned to Russia, where he now coaches for Avangard of the Kontinental Hockey League. Avangard, based in Omsk, recently won the Gagarin Cup, named for Yuri Gagarin, the first human launched into space 60 years ago.
"Time to get back to work for them, early," said Philipp, 21, a real find with enviable hockey IQ and one of nine Blackhawks to register his first NHL goal during the 2021 season. "Avangard took the championship in late April, and now it's hockey again. I will talk to my dad on Sunday, but we always talk. I'm not sure Father's Day over here is as big as it is in the States, but we know about it. And I know what he has meant to me and my career.
"If I were to give my dad a gift, what would it be? Probably a plane ticket to Chicago, so he could see me play in person. My mother, Elena, came to watch me in Rockford. But my dad, because of his job and the pandemic, not yet. He would love that and so would I. The anthem in the United Center and all the people. I haven't seen it full of fans either. That would be exciting, and I would take good care of him. I could never thank him for all he's done to help me. He showed me the way."
Hockey hopefuls invariably separate from home to chase the dream. Riley left Calgary and crossed Canada to play in Oshawa at 17. Likewise, Philipp departed his native Davos for Quebec. But, as Riley noted, distance is a means to mature sooner than most, and appreciate one's childhood foundation. Dad is always present, even when he's not really there.
"When I scored my first NHL goal, I called home," said Philipp of his landmark occasion on Jan. 19 against the Florida Panthers. "Mom was celebrating and Dad was still nervous, jumping around. So happy. He was a player himself, a good defenseman. Mostly in Russia, then the last couple years in Austria. He retired at maybe 35, then a friend offered him a coaching job in Davos.
"So he knows how hard it is to be a hockey player. I don't think I ever told him, after all the times I went to games to watch him coach, that I wanted to be a hockey player. I didn't have to. Even my baby pictures. Not with toys around me. I'm holding a hockey stick. He never pushed me. Always encouraged me. And when I got to Chicago, he watched every game. When I called after my first goal, it's was like 5 in the morning their time. I don't know when they sleep. Before? After? With the Blackhawks, I probably go to bed ahead of them."